Customs, Traditions, Anthropology Books

Christmas Around the World

Mary D. Lankford

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 2 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

Wonderful! Appropriate for all ages! 5 out of 5 stars.
52 of 54 people found this review helpful.

As a third grade teacher, this book was a useful tool in teaching about Christmas Around the World. There are so few good books on this topic, and my students enjoyed the one page synopsis of Christmas for each of the countries discussed (about 10). The illustrations for each country are wonderful and vivid. We were able to learn about customs from these countries not usually presented in other books. I would recommend this book to any teacher, parent, or child seeking information about Christmas customs in countries around the world in this enjoyable and fact-filled book.

Festive 4 out of 5 stars.
29 of 30 people found this review helpful.

This is a fun book and I would recommend it to anyone interested in Christmas. The book looks at 12 countries around the world where Christmas is celebrated on a national scale. One reads brief, but detailed, summaries of the Christmas events and traditions of those countries. From religious celebrations to marketplace customs, and from tasty foods to fun crafts, one is presented with a vivid and enlightening picture of how poeple around the world celebrate the holiday.

The physical book itself is well made and festive. Each page is colorful and has vibrant paintings of Christmas events in each culture. The type is small, so parents would need to read this to their younger kids. To help readers, the author has included a pronunciation guide in the back. There is also a "fact and fiction" section about common Christmas things which serves as a reference for those who may never have heard of Epiphany or even Jesus Christ. Fun and simple craft guidelines are also included.

While this is a book about Christmas, it is not a religious book (which disappointed me). It mentions religious events associated with Christmas, but treats it holiday as if it is essentially a cultural event. Nevertheless, it is a fun book that is very educational. It would be a great book to have to bring out to display and enjoy at Christmastime.

Editorial Review:

Ethiopian fringed umbrellas; star-shaped Filipino parol lanterns;candlelit Swedish St. Lucia crowns-Mary Lankford bringstogether Christmas traditions from twelve different lands,like decorations on a splendid tree.

Castle: Medieval Days and Knights (A Sabuda & Reinhart Pop-up Book)

Kyle Olmon

Amazon Price: $8.00 List Price: $19.99 Usually ships in 24 hours By: Orchard Books Amazon Marketplace: 86 new & used starting at $1.75

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Subjects -> Children's Books -> Arts & Music -> Architecture

Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 44 Average rating: 5.0 of 5

Great for all ages :) 5 out of 5 stars.
0 of 0 people found this review helpful.

I adore this book and honestly who knew pop up books could be so informative? This book was so much for me to read and great for my little cousin too. She's three years old and she likes to sit on my lap as we look through the pages. Theres even a little catapult inside where you can throw little pieces of paper across the room! (I'll admit I had a bit more fun at that) This book is really a piece of art that I plan to save for her so when she gets older I can give it to her :) that is after I get one for my own collection. Again a great book and an even more fabulous read.

My grandsons loved this book 5 out of 5 stars.
0 of 0 people found this review helpful.

I bought this book for two of our grandsons who are 6 and 3 years old. The 3 year old loved the big colorful pop-up pages while the 6 year old loved learning about the story. I, myself, learned a great deal about the medieval days as well. The book is the right size, made well, and very educational. Makes a great gift!

Editorial Review:

Over fifteen intricate pop-ups accompany Sabuda and Reinhart's fascinating text, which guides readers through the different aspects of life in a medieval castle. Readers will learn about knighting ceremonies, battles, and feasts. The true majesty of castles is fully realized when this book is opened to reveal a stunning 3-dimensional medieval world.

Sarah Morton's Day: A Day in the Life of a Pilgrim Girl

Scholastic Inc.

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Subjects -> Children's Books -> History & Historical Fiction -> United States -> Colonial & Revolutionary

Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 11 Average rating: 5.0 of 5

Valerie Wisniewski 5 out of 5 stars.
3 of 3 people found this review helpful.

Sarah Morton's Day: A Day in the life of a Pilgrim Girl and its partner books about Samuel Eaton a Pilgrim boy and Tapenum"s Day about a Wampanoag Indian boy are excellent. I used all three in teaching about Massachusetts history. The books are well researched. The setting is Plymouth Plantation where reenactors wear authentic clothing and use authentic reproductions of tools, furniture, etc. The books depict children's work, play, families, homes and clothing. The books should be in every school library.

Brings history to life! 5 out of 5 stars.
2 of 2 people found this review helpful.

Sarah Morton's Day: A Day in the Life of a Pilgrom Girl is an exceptional teaching tool for the young "history detectives" in your circle. Textbooks are never enough. What better way to understand that the "story" of history happened to real people who looked just like us, had needs and families just like us, but lived a different lifestyle because of the time in which they lived.

Follow this up with a visit to a museum, and the story of our history becomes very real!

This is a wonderful book, and I highly recommend it.

Editorial Review:

Text and photographs of Plimouth Plantation follow a pilgrim girl through a typical day as she milks the goats, cooks and serves meals, learns her letters, and adjusts to her new stepfather.

Global Babies

Global Fund for Children

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 8 Average rating: 5.0 of 5

Loved by my 10 Month Old 5 out of 5 stars.
1 of 1 people found this review helpful.

We bought this book when my daughter was 4 months old, but it is only recently that she started picking it out for me to read to her. She laughs at the different baby faces, especially the boy sticking his tongue out, and it is one book that she wants to look at over and over. I love how diverse the book is, and the message is great. It would be a nice book for those doing an international adoption. Two pacifiers up!

We love these babies! 5 out of 5 stars.
1 of 1 people found this review helpful.

Even though I have read this book over and over and over again to my granddaughter throughout her first year of life, I always love looking at the beautiful babies from around the world. Babies in colorful clothing from such countries as Mali, Afghanistan, Iraq, Spain, Peru, Guatemala, South Africa, and India, delight the readers each time the book is opened. This is a great way to travel the world while sitting in a chair snuggling with baby.

Editorial Review:

Seventeen cultures, seventeen gorgeous babies. Appealing color photographs depict diverse traditions and showcase clothing worn by babies from around the world. A simple narrative helps demonstrate that no matter how different babies appear, they are all very much alike -- nurtured and loved by those who care for them.

Thank You, Sarah: The Woman Who Saved Thanksgiving

Laurie Halse Anderson

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 13 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

No Mention of Giving Thanks to God 2 out of 5 stars.
8 of 17 people found this review helpful.

This book defines Thanksgiving as the Pilgrims thanking the Native Americans for saving them from starvation. The truth is that the Pilgrims gave thanks to God. Whatever you think of God, that is an historical fact. The book is adorably done, and I love that it tells us of this unsung hero who saved Thanksgiving with her perseverance and letter-writing, but if you were hoping that this book would teach your children about Thanksgiving, or if the idea of revisionist history offends your principles, then you will be disappointed with this selection.

Editorial Review:

We the people of the United States...

Almost Lost Thanksgiving

Yes. That's right!

Way back when "skirts were long and hats were tall" Americans were forgetting Thanksgiving, and nobody seemed to care!

Thankfully, Sarah Hale appeared. More steadfast than Plymouth Rock, this lady editor knew the holiday needed saving. But would her recipe for rescue ever convince Congress and the presidents?

Join acclaimed author Laurie Halse Anderson on a journey of a woman and a pen that spanned four decades, the Civil War, and five presidents, all so you could have your turkey and eat it too!

Throw Your Tooth on the Roof: Tooth Traditions from Around the World

Selby Beeler

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 15 Average rating: 5.0 of 5

What a great book! 5 out of 5 stars.
0 of 0 people found this review helpful.

Oh my goodness, what a great book about the tooth fairy and other traditions around the world. My 6yr old just lost her 1st tooth, but we purchased this book before she lost it so that she could read about other kids and what they do with their baby teeth. She loves this book, and I love this book because it teaches her about different places, people, and traditions from around the world with a subject that she can totally relate to!

tooth stories 4 out of 5 stars.
0 of 0 people found this review helpful.

When I was a child my mother had a very peculiar way of us getting rid of our fallen out teeth. She had us go into the unused garage attic and throw them in with a little poem she wrote that would give us nice new strong teeth. I do not know if this is one of the tooth fantasises but it was interesting to read. She was Russan in origin.

Editorial Review:

Travel around the world and discover the surprising things children do when they lose a tooth. Selby B. Beeler spent years collecting traditions from every corner of the globe for this whimsical book, and G. Brian Karas adds to the fun, filling every page with humorous detail. He perfectly captures the excitement and pride that children experience when a tooth falls out.

If You Lived In Colonial Times (If You.)

Ann Mcgovern

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 8 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

Life in colonial New England from the perspective of a child 4 out of 5 stars.
6 of 6 people found this review helpful.

Life in New England in colonial times was hard, a good growing year and people could eat well, a bad growing year and there was hunger. Harvest was an especially busy time, as everyone had to work all hours to get all of the food stored away.
This book is about how the children of that time lived. Since everything revolved around the family in their house, this is about family life from the perspective of children. What they wore what they ate, the work they did during the day, what they did for fun, what their schools were like, and how they behaved on Sunday. There were many laws, some of which were heavily enforced and others that were largely ignored.
The tithing-man would rap you if you misbehaved in church or tickle your face if you fell asleep during the service. Nearly everything that was used by the people was grown and made by them, so the explanations of how they made their goods was quite interesting. The list of standard jobs found in every village, such as the miller, blacksmith, barber, tailor and the cooper describes what professions were most valued at that time.
This is an excellent book about the life of a child in New England. While their lives are described as being difficult, they were not without joy, something that is also mentioned in detail.

Editorial Review:

Ann McGovern's gay and informative book gives young readers a vivid picture of life in colonial New England from 1659 to 1730. The drawings help children imagine what it was really like to be a boy or girl in colonial days.

The author answers many intriguing questions that children are likely to ask. "What did colonial boys and girls wear?" "What happened if they didn't behave in school?" "What did they do on Sunday?" "Were there special laws about fun? "What happened to people who broke the laws?"

This book provides a unique opportunity to enrich the young reader's understanding of American history. 52 entertaining questions and answers about what it was like to live in the New England colonies during the years 1650 - 1730

Magic Tree House Research Guide #13: Pilgrims: A Nonfiction Companion to Thanksgiving on Thursday (Magic Tree House Rsrch Gdes(R))

Mary Pope Osborne, Natalie Pope Boyce

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 3 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

Great 5 out of 5 stars.
2 of 2 people found this review helpful.

My nephew loves these books. The research guides in particular add a lot of fun to the experience.

Magic Tree House Pilgrims Research Guide 5 out of 5 stars.
1 of 3 people found this review helpful.

Haven't had a chance to read this book yet w/grandson but we haven't been disappointed w/any of the Magic Tree House books yet!

Check the Book for duplicated pages 3 out of 5 stars.
1 of 2 people found this review helpful.

Received this and had my kid read it . . . before realizing that big sections were missing and some pages were printed twice. Check shelved copies, Amazon!

Editorial Review:

What was it like to be a passenger on the Mayflower? How many people survived the first harsh winter in the New World? How did Pilgrim children spend their days? Find out the answers to these questions and more in this Magic Tree House Research Guide: Pilgrims. Includes fun facts from Jack and Annie, fantastic photos and illustrations, and a guide to doing further research.

Children Just Like Me: Celebrations!

Anabel Kindersley, Barnabas Kindersley

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 10 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

Very interesting and joyful 4 out of 5 stars.
9 of 10 people found this review helpful.

This is a very interesting book, with wonderful pictures and lots of joy. It's a book that makes you happy. Many of the celebrations were unknown to me, and it was fun to see that the Swedish celebration of St. Lucia is described correctly in the book (I'm Swedish).
The only doubtful thing about this book is that the mix of different religions isn't very good. Most celebrations are Christian or Hindu - only one is Muslim and none is purely Buddhist. That's a bit of a pity. Anyway, great book.

Gorgeous full-color large photos 5 out of 5 stars.
4 of 4 people found this review helpful.

I love this book and I use it all the time to teach children about other faiths and cultures. The beautiful, realistic photos make it great for sharing. When I am not using it, it makes a nice coffee table book. My only criticism is that it always makes me want to research more (not a lot of text, but the photos and illustrations make it worth having).

Editorial Review:

Barnabas and Anabel Kindersley, creators of the acclaimed Children Just Like Me, meet with children around the world as they celebrate 25 of their favorite holidays and traditions. With stunning photographs and illustrations, readers meet each child and learn the significance of the chosen celebration. Full color.

Houses and Homes (Around the World Series)

Ann Morris

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 5 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

Informative and Stimulating! 5 out of 5 stars.
32 of 32 people found this review helpful.

Houses and Homes is a great book to stimulate conversation for young beginning readers! The photos alone are worth a thousand words. I used this book as a lead in for a discussion with first graders about different types of homes around the world. The text is simple enough that they'll read it unassisted over and over. The index in the back of the book, along with a world map, is very informative! It states the specific country where each photo was taken and gives detailed information on the uses of the types of homes shown. The descriptions also include information on the relationships between homes, cultures, and climates around the world. My 5 year old nephew, a beginning reader, would not put the book down. If he wasn't actually reading the book, he was spending time looking at the real-life photos!

Editorial Review:

The world is full of houses. Big houses and little houses. Houses that stay in one place and houses that move from place to place. Some houses are made of wood or stone; others are made from mud or straw. But all of them are made for families to live in.